HONG KONG, Feb 12, 2025 - (ACN Newswire) - China Gas Holdings Limited (“China Gas” or the "Group"; stock code: 384), a leading city gas operator in China, has been continuously increasing its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years and has achieved a series of significant results. Since January 2025, with the launch of the home-grown large AI model by DeepSeek, a new "AI algorithm and computing power revolution" has begun, with the competitive landscape and development logic of AI undergoing profound changes once again worldwide. China Gas actively embraces changes, accelerating its digital transformation and planning to invest over RMB300 million to build the industry's first digital twin platform for gas business. It will cover over 80% of pipeline networks nationwide and drive the AI penetration rate in its core businesses to over 90%.
The Group continuously integrates its rich industry experience and application scenarios with the rapidly evolving AI large model technology. It is empowering safety operations, corporate management, and customer services with AI, as well as exploring innovative applications of AI in the gas industry, driving the intelligent transformation across the Group, and building momentum for the intelligent upgrade of the industry.
Key Achievements: With Years of AI Empowerment, Full-Scenario Data Now Witnessing Transformation
China Gas has leveraged the continuously-advancing AI technologies to achieve accurate risk prevention and control of safety operations, with both efficiency and reliability significantly improved. The Group's self-developed Safety Alarm System continuously conducts AI Big Data analysis, issuing 250,000 early warning messages per year, and achieving a closed-loop disposal rate of safety hazards of over 98%. The AI approval rate has increased by 90%, fulfilling second-level compliance checks and avoiding potential losses of over RMB10 million.
Additionally, China Gas has integrated AI technology with OMP, engineering visualization systems, and the SCADA cloud platform, enabling real-time monitoring of the operations of 100,000 equipment, with a fault prediction accuracy rate of 88%. Annual preventive maintenance has reduced downtime by 15,000 hours, and equipment failure rates have decreased by 30%. The quality pass rate of welding processes has increased to over 98%, with quality-related incident rates dropping by 45% year on year.
AI is also a "magic weapon" for improving corporate management efficiency and optimizing costs. For example, China Gas uses AI to assist the legal and risk control departments during AI-driven contract reviews, with the legal compliance system automatically identifying 90% of risks in contracts, improving review efficiency by 30%, and reducing the time of a single contract review by over one hour. China Gas also uses AI to boost human resource management intelligence, consequently reducing the error rate in the PS system (human resource management) for salary calculations to 0.05% and shortening the performance evaluation cycle by 65%. AI is also an efficient instrument in assisting IT operations. Leveraging AI, China Gas automatically classifies 90% of IT operation tickets, reduces fault handling time by 50%, improves operation efficiency by 60%, and increases knowledge base retrieval speed by five times.
Concerning customer services, AI enhances the user experience while elevating the satisfaction rate to new heights. Intelligent customer services at the China Gas call center handle 32,000 voice commands per day and can achieve a recognition accuracy rate of 91%. The AI technology has led to a 35% reduction in labor costs and raised the customer satisfaction rate to 93%. Moreover, the AI digital human "Ran Xiaozhi (Mr. Smart-gas)," which integrates voice and animation interaction, has a user satisfaction rate of over 97%, reducing the pressure on human customer service by 40%. Additionally, security image recognition processes 60,000 images daily, has a recognition accuracy rate of 99.7%, and reduces manual review costs by 70%.
As for marketing and operations, AI facilitates data-driven decision-making and efficient resource allocation. For example, China Gas's smart trading platform dynamically optimizes natural gas supply and demand matching through AI, and is expected to reduce out-of-contract procurement cost by 50%. Furthermore, volume-cost-profit analysis for key accounts helps recover an average monthly gas loss of over 2 million cubic meters. Also, China Gas's GIS system improves emergency response efficiency for pipeline bursts by 50%, provides 100% automated coverage of pipeline network data quality inspection and 100% accurate restoration of underground pipeline routes.
With respect to how its smart trading platform is going intelligent, China Gas is vigorously optimizing natural gas supply and demand matching by analyzing large amounts of data and complex constraints, achieving efficient resource allocation and dynamic adjustment of supply plans to ensure demand is met at different times and locations, while minimizing costs and waste, enhancing overall operational efficiency and reliability. For example, monthly resource optimization, transmission path optimization, and annual procurement plan application scenarios are expected to see the reduction of out-of-contract procurement cost by 50%, saving tens of millions of yuan.
Through AI algorithms, the company can also analyze gas price fluctuations and the user behaviors on gas consumption across the country in real-time. With the large AI model serving as the foundation, the smart trading platform can predict future quarterly market demand and generate differentiated pricing schemes. Also, the smart gas system can analyze abnormal gas consumption data from multiple users in a certain location through Big Data- and AI-powered monitoring, issue a warning, and help the company investigate and successfully handle serious safety hazards – such as gas leaks and theft, potentially saving millions of yuan in losses.
Future Outlook: AI Penetration Rate in Core Businesses to Exceed 90%, Laying the "AI" Foundation for the Company to Achieve Century-old Success
The world is changing rapidly, and AI is advancing by leaps and bounds. Whether individuals, enterprises, or even nations, we are all facing a once-in-a-century transformation and opportunity. Those who understand and use AI well will enhance their capabilities and ride on the trend of the era.
Recently, at China Gas's 2025 opening conference, several members of the company's board of directors and core management mentioned the profound impact and inspiration that DeepSeek has had on themselves and the gas industry. Mr. LIU Ming Hui, Chairman and President of China Gas, stated at the meeting that China Gas will invest more heavily in AI application research across more segments of the Group, utilizing the latest and best AI technologies. The company will be focusing on the implementation of relevant technologies, further driving its intelligent transformation, and enhancing its safety operations, enterprise management, and customer service capabilities. Such efforts would help consolidate China Gas’s leadership in the industry, as well as lay an "AI" foundation for the century-old enterprise. He added that all employees will be required to learn about large AI models like those by DeepSeek and to use AI effectively.
A representative of China Gas's Yipin Smart Living (YPH) noted that AI technology applications have entered YPH scenarios, covering such core areas as software development and YPH mall operations. Through practice and trial runs spanning code-assisted generation, automated production of product materials, and data-driven product selection, AI has demonstrated its efficiency-enhancing value in standardized processes. Preliminary application data shows that related technologies have improved work efficiency by 15%-50%, with significant room for further optimization.
Regarding safety management, China Gas will continue to deepen AI application, building a comprehensive early warning Big Data platform to achieve real-time monitoring of key information, such as overdue safety inspections and households unvisited for over two years. The "AI-driven Brain for Operations" will constantly monitor safety dynamics, predict potential risks in advance, ensure the timely detection and proper handling of hazards, provide a scientific basis for safety management, and ensure user safety.
As for meter reading management, China Gas will combine the latest technologies on AI data analysis to deeply mine and analyze meter reading data, predict customer gas demand, and optimize meter reading and billing plans, improving work efficiency, reducing human error, enhancing service accuracy and reliability, and making meter reading work more scientific and logical. At the same time, the company’s Big Data platform will deeply analyze gas consumption behavior and provide personalized gas usage suggestions and service plans to further enhance the service experience and satisfaction level of users.
Mr. HAN Peng, General Manager of China Gas's Digital Development Division, said: "AI is not just a tool but also the main engine that is reshaping the patterns of our industry. We will use technology to drive the gas industry’s shift from 'experience-driven' to 'data intelligence-driven,' providing a model for a safe, efficient, and green future energy system."
Industry Value: Applying AI is an Opportunity and a Responsibility, Setting a Smart Energy Benchmark for Public Benefit
Mr. HAN Peng added that China Gas will invest over RMB300 million in three major areas: the digital twin platform, low-carbon intelligent operations, and comprehensive user experience upgrade. In the next three years, the AI penetration rate in China Gas's core businesses will exceed 90%, driving operational costs down by another 20%. The industry's first gas digital twin platform will be built, covering over 80% of the national pipeline network, setting a new benchmark for industry development.
The digital twin platform will cover over 80% of the national pipeline network, achieve real-time simulation and intelligent regulation, driving operational costs down by another 20%. The low-carbon intelligent operations will combine AI and IoT technologies to optimize energy allocation and loss control, helping achieve the "dual carbon" goals. Additionally, the comprehensive user experience upgrade will bolster the uptake of AI digital human applications and intelligent customer services, with the user satisfaction rate set to exceed 99%, creating a benchmark for industry services.
From risk warning to resource optimization, from efficient transformation to experience upgrade, China Gas is leveraging AI technology to drive the intelligent transformation of the gas industry. DeepSeek represents a new global AI boom, led by China. China Gas's wealth AI application practices and achievements not only serve as a testament to the feasibility of AI technology implementation, but will also open up infinite possibilities for "AI + green energy" for the public.
"The rapid development of artificial intelligence is reshaping the gas industry in an unprecedented and in-depth manner. As a pioneer in China's gas industry, we are fully aware that AI is not just a technological tool, but also the principal engine for driving the industry’s transformation and serving national strategies," said Mr. LIU Ming Hui, "The gas industry is related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Applying AI is not only an opportunity, but also a responsibility. As an industry leader, China Gas has the duty to set a smarter and safer energy enterprise benchmark for Chinese users and the government. We firmly believe that with AI as a link, the gas industry will be safer, more efficient, and greener, giving momentum to the country's high-quality development. The Group is willing to work with all sectors, using technology as wings and our mission as the helm, to jointly write a glorious chapter in the new era of smart energy!"
About China Gas
China Gas Holdings Limited ("China Gas", stock code: 384. HK) is a leading gas service provider. Focusing on China, it principally specializes in the investment, construction and operations of city gas pipeline infrastructure, distribution of natural gas and LPG to residential, industrial and commercial users, as well as construction and operations of gas refilling stations for vehicles and vessels. In addition, it has drawn on its extensive consumer base to form a full-fledged business portfolio including value-added services and integrated energy. China Gas owns a total of 662 city and township gas projects with concession rights, 32 long-distance pipeline transmission projects of natural gas, 509 CNG and LNG refilling stations, the licenses to import and export LNG and other fuel products in China, as well as 120 LPG distribution projects.
For more information, please visit http://www.chinagasholdings.com.hk